TennJenn

We are getting an above ground pool...should be here & ready to swim in next week. :001_smile: I know swimming is good exercise & I plan to use it as part of my exercise for the rest of the summer. I will have to wait until my incision sites all heal completely before getting it, but other than that should I be concerned about swimming as exercise early on post op?

I know I shouldn't be lifting anything heavy for a few months, but I figure swimming would be very good for me & easier on my body. I just don't want to be doing it if I should not. Should I wait til I'm at least 6 weeks post op? I definitely don't want to mess anything up! (healing wise)

10 days post op here...I feel the stomach cramps (I guess that's what they are) mainly if I take too big of a sip or if the liquid is too cold. Warm liquids like broth go down much better. And I definitley burp A LOT! Dr. Campos said it was normal...just burp & then you can continue to sip to get in more liquids.< /p>

Can you have warm liquids? If so, try that.

What kind of Soups did you guys do? I just can't see eating cream of chicken soup! It just doesn't sound good to me.

Vegas- We probably could try that, but if it leaked, we'd be in a mess! She goes back to the doctor Tuesday & they will remove the splint and re-evaluate it. We are hoping for a less aggressive treatment.

Good luck with your PCP appt!

For me, warm liquids went down easier.

I was prepared to see an increase in my weight after surgery, but I lost so much Fluid from my legs/feet that I showed a loss almost immeditately. But you have to understand that I had major swelling issues going on. Now the fluid on my legs is gone! I can see my ankle bone & leg bone for the first time in about 8 years! :thumbup1:

I'm 9 days post op now & sipping has become much easier. I can now sip larger amounts more often without the pain that I had for the first few days. I am still careful not to take in too much with one sip & if I do I still feel "tightness", but I can take larger sips. I am considering this a good thing as it helps me to get in more liquids throughout the day. Just wondering what everyone else's experience has been...I guess I just want to make sure I'm relatively normal! :thumbup1:

She is 8. She broke her thumb year before last playing softball. I guess she is just kinda unlucky! I felt really bad for her. She did great, though. The doctor gave her the choice to numb the finger before setting it or just "getting it over with" & she chose to just let him get it done. I am sure it was painful...she cried for a minute or two and then that was it. She's my very tough cookie! :thumbup:

The worst part for her is since she is in a full splint, she can't swim this weekend at her softball party! :thumbup1:

Definitely tired of clears! :thumbup1: I am not hungry, but I do miss food. The hardest time for me is when I am cooking for my kids. OMG, everything smells SOOO good! I just want some kind of texture in my mouth!

I try to take it day by day...

For those who remember my update post...I had to go see my PCP to get a new scrip. for crushable BP meds. I brought all of my papers & x-rays from Dr. Aceves to discuss them with her (she knew I was having VSG done). She and I went over it all (she was interested in the post op leak test pictures...she said it really is like a "banana stomach"! :laugh0:). She said Dr. A's surgery report looked great & it appears that I had great care & a great experience. She checked my incision sites & confirmed that they look like they are healing well. I was feeling pretty good! :thumbup1:

Then my BP reading...128/80! I've never had a reading that good in a doctor's office without any meds! EVER! I told her I still get some "borderline" readings at home, but she said we should not do any meds right now since my readings are pretty good & the weight loss has just started. So, for now, I am off my BP meds! :thumbup: I will continue to monitor it at home...she said I should get consistent readings below 130/80 to be considered "controlled". If my readings start creeping up again, I'll need more meds, but MUCH less dosage than before. I made an appointment to go back in 3 months to get some labs done & to re-check my BP.

I left the Dr. office feeling on top of the world! :hurray: (I had a very bad morning before this...my oldest daughter broke her pinky finger while running through the house & we had to go have it set back in place as it was VERY deformed) So, my day began horribly, but ended well.

I lost about 8 lbs in just the first few days after surgery. But I did have A LOT of Fluid on my legs (have had fluid on legs for years, but not anymore!) The weight loss is definitely slowing down now.

It's almost time for me to go to the full liquid stage of my post op diet! I'd like to hear some ideas from you guys as I have no clue what to get at the grocery store.

Congratulations, Penny! I know exactly how you feel...I researched WLS for years before being able to have it done. Once the date was set, it finally felt real! Good luck with your surgery! You're gonna love Dr. Aceves & his staff! :thumbup1:

Well, DH and I arrived back home Friday night. I have to say, flying is not my cup 'o tea! :laugh0: I get motion sickness easy & we hit some major turbulence from San Diego to Houston & I felt like I was on a roller coaster (which I always throw up on roller coasters :eek:). I had taken a Drammamine prior to leaving the hospital, but I think it had worn off by then...I could have taken another, but dumb me wanted to tough it out! I did take another when we arrived at Houston before our next flight, though. :thumbup: That flight went MUCH better!

Anyway, surgery went great. Dr. Aceves and his staff were just as everyone has said. DH and I felt very welcome & "special"! I did get sick the afternoon before surgery (again, motion sickness :frown1:) so I couldn't really enjoy a "last meal". I did have some potato & bacon Soup from the Lucerna...it was awesome! The Lucerna was a nice hotel with great room service...DH loved their room service, so that's saying something! :laugh0: But he also loved the hospital cafeteria food, too! :thumbup:

As far as the surgery goes, I don't remember much the day of surgery. I was the only one having surgery (I think) so I went first thing. The happy pill didn't have much affect on me, but whatever they put in that IV knocked me out cold! That's the last thing I remember before being wheeled back to my room. Dr. Aceves found a hernia that he repaired & said the surgery went without complications. As everyone has said, the 2nd day was the worst for me. I had to make myself get up to walk, but I knew walking would make me feel better. The day before going home was good...getting rid of some of the gas helped tremendously! Overall, I think I am recovering well. I am a bit weak & light headed at times, but feel pretty normal.

I am upset with my PCP, though. I called her office while at the hospital to get her to call in a prescription for a blood pressure med that could be crushed. After some back and forth with her office & the pharmacy (I still dont' know why my PCP wanted ME to talk to the pharmacy about different options, I thought that is what SHE should do!)...anyway, my PCP ends up leaving a voice mail on my DH's cell phone (I gave her MY cell number b/c DH's was dead) saying she won't give me anything without seeing me first! WTH?:cursing: So, I've had to go all weekend without BP meds! I've been checking it & it's not horrible, it runs anywhere between 130/80 & 145/95...not too bad for me being off my pills.

Oh, one thing I noticed immediately from surgery is the swelling in my legs & ankles is gone! I told my DH last night that it's been years since I've actually seen the bone in my leg because of the heavy swelling I've had. And the amazing part is that I haven't been taking my HCTZ(diuretic) because I didn't want to get dehydrated! So, hopefully I can come off of the diuretic completely!

Oh, I did get to meet two other members from here...I know one was independenceday, but I can't remember the others username (I met them on MY day 2, so...). They both had surgery the day before me. And while I was there, two ladies from LA came in to talk with me about my experience. They were sisters scheduled to be sleeved on the 15th. That was kinda cool! :biggrin2:

I'll keep this short because I am having a hard time keeping an internet connecetion. All went well with the surgery...today has been my best day so far. All of the tests looked great, so I'm just waiting for the drain to come out now.

I'll update you again later.

Good luck with your surgery! I'l leaving tomorrow morning for Mexicali...

Ack! My time is finally here! My DH and I are flying out tomorrow morning for my surgery on Tuesday. It's my first time flying EVER! I don't think I'll sleep much at all tonight...I'm ready to get this over with!

My DH is bringing a laptop from his work so I hope I can pop in here to let everyone know how it's going. I still can not believe it's MY turn! :thumbup1:

Thanks, WasA! I don't plan to have juices & I think all of my carbs will come from the Protein drinks while on all liquids. I actually don't plan to drink 3 of the MMLight a day...I plan to do two of them & a nectar Protein Drink. So, I think my carb intake should be fine as well. I do feel hungrier when I consume a lot of carbs, so I do plan to limit my carbs as much as possible, especially during the liquid only phases.

I can see a light at the end of the tunnel now. I think I'll be okay on liquids. If I can just make it to the full liquid stage! :thumbup1: I think the clears will be the most difficult for me to get in the Protein. I guess I'm just gonna have to suck it up & get it done!

I found the RTD Muscle Milk at my local grocery store & tried it. It was very good! :thumbup1: I know many of you do not like Protein with this many carbs, but...

Anyway, I've sent an email to Nina asking when I could drink those post op, but thought I'd pick the brains of the veteran sleevers here as well. I've included a link so you can see the information on it. My question is for Dr. Aceves' patients, when would this drink be acceptable?

vanilla Creme - CYTOSPORT - GNC

Great job! :thumbup1:

I am one who doesn't like exercise either. It's funny, too, because all through my school years I played volleyball & softball and was very active. I still love playing today although it's much harder for me. But as far as "exercise" goes, I HATE it! I'm hoping to incorporate different activities as exercise...maybe I'll learn to love it. (fingers crossed)

No, problem. I don't know what I'd do if I had to do the pre-op diet. I am sure I'd be posting with the same vent! :thumbup1: It's easier to see how great someone else is doing than it is to admit to yourself that you are doing great.

8 lbs in a week is awesome! That's just over a lb a day! Keep up the good work & I'm sure you'll do great post op!

No, it made my Propel very milky & cloudy looking. The look of it & the smell of it was more than I could handle. :thumbup1:

I don't know if there is any unflavored Protein powder that would mix clear in Water.

Thanks, Linda. I definitely want to try more flavors. That's a great way to try them all. :tongue_smilie:

Yes, I mixed it with Water. I thought I read somewhere that the nectar was acceptable on clears, but I wanted to verify that. I was hoping someone has already asked about it...if not, I'll email Nina to verify it.